Hydroponic technology is being increasingly deployed for growing food and medicinal crops. Improvements in crop yield per unit of resource expended in hydroponic settings can generate significant benefits to many agricultural operations and thereby address society's increasing needs for resource-efficient agriculture.
The prior art teaches that shallow pools, i.e., ponds having depths in a range from 0.125 inch to 0.25 inch, are preferred in order to maximize yield per resource input. In addition, the prior art teaches toward filtering source water prior to use in a hydroponic pond, although filtering source water can be resource intensive.
The prior art fails to optimally manage and apply to hydroponic agriculture essential crop inputs, such as water, oxygen, nutrients, heat, and electricity, to maximize volume and quality of crop production.